Jayson Werth is mobbed by his teammates after his walk-off home run in the ninth inning to force a Game 5. / H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul White, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul White, USA TODAY Sports

WASHINGTON â?? There's no telling how valuable Jayson Werth's ninth-inning walk-off home run Thursday is to the Washington Nationals.

Calling it worth $126 million might be a stretch, but the shot over the left-field bullpen off Lance Lynn that gave Washington an elimination-avoiding 2-1 victory against the St.Louis Cardinals sure is a big down payment on that seven-year contract.

Helping, even leading, his team to tonight's decisive fifth game of its National League Division Series is part of why general manager Mike Rizzo worked out the contract that raised more than a few eyebrows around baseball. But Rizzo wasn't shy about explaining that he also needed to make the Nationals a destination franchise for players as part of building a winner.

"I don't think there's any mystery when you're a 100-loss team, you have to do something to get the dominoes started," said third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who suffered through those down years. "We've come a long way. I think we have a chance to do something special the next five, 10, 15 years."

First things first.

The Nationals have a chance to get out of their first-ever playoff series thanks to a Werth trademark, a 14-pitch at-bat.

"I think he threw a hook to get to 3-2, and I figured from there, I wasn't going to get off the heater," said Werth, who hit a walk-off homer earlier this season on the 10th pitch of an at-bat. "Fouled a couple more off and finally got one to hit."

It was the Nationals' first hit since the fourth inning and their only run after Adam LaRoche's second-inning homer gave them a quick lead.

What got the Nationals to Werth's moment was the trademark pitching that put them in the playoffs in the first place but had mostly disappeared in the first three games of the series.

Ross Detwiler held the Cardinals to three hits over six innings, and the only run was the result of an error by shortstop Ian Desmond, who came back to make an over-the-shoulder, run-saving catch to end the top of the ninth.

After Detwiler, manager Davey Johnson turned to Jordan Zimmermann, who was routed as the Game 2 starter. Zimmermann, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen struck out eight Cardinals over the final three innings.

The sellout crowd was looking for any excuse to explode and began riding the wave of strikeouts.

"It was electric," Johnson says. "All of them throwing harder than I've seen them throw."

But Werth got the ultimate roar, a bit of vindication for a guy who hit .232 last year, had this season cut in half by a broken wrist and is reminded often enough about his contract.

And, Zimmerman hopes, those fans get a chance to learn a little more about Werth.

"I'm so happy for him that fans can share a moment like this with him," Zimmerman said of his bearded teammate, who looks more gruff mountain man than gritty ballplayer. "Fans like to interact with players, like to be friends with players. Jayson is not a friendly person on the baseball field, and that's fine."

Werth says his moment Thursday was almost surreal. "I didn't hear a thing. It was pretty quiet to me."

But the guy with the locker next to him is pretty sure Werth is soaking up every bit of it. "I think that was good for him," Zimmerman said. "He might not tell you, but it was."

***

Recap of Game 4 of the NL Divisional playoff at Washington's National Park

State of the Series: The Nationals kept saying they could have a distinct home-field advantage. Their fans wanted to prove it. It took 11 innings for them to get the opportunity, but Adam LaRoche's second-inning home run gave Washington its first lead at home in this series. Despite only one more hit until Jayson Werth's walkoff homer, the ballpark turned into the place the players envisioned. And the roof of the Capitol about blew off when Werth cleared the left-field bullpen. That sets up a even less inviting environment in Game 5 Friday for the Cardinals, who for the first time in this postseason and last didn't close out a series when they had the opportunity.

Game 4 Pivot Point: The Cardinals had just tied the game without a hit. Nationals starting pitcher Ross Detwiler walked No. 8 hitter Pete Kozma, setting up a sacrifice by Kyle Lohse. Shortstop Ian Desmond booted Jon Jay's ground ball, then Kozma scored on Carlos Beltran's sacrifice fly, on which Bryce Harper made an ill-advised, low-percentage airmail throw to the plate. That allowed Jay to move to second. If ever there was a place the Nationals could unravel and slide out of the playoffs, this was it. But Detwiler struck out Matt Holliday to end the inning and the tense, tight game was on.

Man of the Moment: Werth's walkoff was a clear payback for the highly criticized $127 million free agent contract he got before the 2011 season. General manager Mike Rizzo said he had to put his team on the map as a destination. There's one big reason for the GM to smile, not to mention Detwiler's performance amidst the Stephen Strasburg controversy.

Needing a mulligan: Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was hitless for the fourth time in five post-season games. He had two singles in St. Louis' Game 2 rout, but is hitless in his last seven at-bats in the crucial No. 5 spot between Allen Craig and David Freese.

What you missed on TV: Players' union executive director Michael Weiner, who has been receiving treatment for a brain tumor since August, visited with players for the second consecutive day. He said he was trying to see as many games as possible during a break in his treatments. So far, he has been to games in New York and Washington. "Hasn't this been amazing?" he said of the postseason so far.

Outside the box: Nationals Game 2 starter Jordan Zimmermann made his first relief appearance since 2008 in Class A, and it came in the seventh inning of a tie game. That's significant because Nationals manager Davey Johnson was moving outside what he defined as his own comfort zone. "We're in a situation that if (starter Ross Detwiler) has a problem, I would go to Zimm," Johnson said before the game. But Detwiler was everything Johnson could have hoped and Zimmerman suddenly became a key element late in the game. He didn't disappoint, striking out the side in the seventh with the game tied, and set a tone. Including Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen behind Zimmermann, Washington pitchers got eight consecutive outs on strikeouts.